Play review: 'Book of Liz' serves up sweet satire of self-discovery

Monday

The comedy by Amy and David Sedaris runs through May 11 at TheatreNOW in Wilmington.

The things that make each of us unique can be harder than heckfire to discover.

It's a journey, as they say, and the quest to find ourselves can be both cheesy and hilarious, as proved by "The Book of Liz," a play by Amy and David Sedaris running as dinner theater through May 11 at TheatreNOW. Under the direction of Phill Antonino it's a fun show with lots of laughs, although the action gets bogged down at times and things aren't as crisp as they could be, something that should improve the longer the show runs.

The Sedaris siblings send up an intentionally cliche (albeit universal) story by wrapping it in layers of absurdity while infusing the tale with memorable characters, notably our heroine, the sweaty Sister Elizabeth Donderstock, played with a gentle sincerity by Emily Gomez, who also offers hints at an inner strength.

"Sister Liz" is the chief cheese ball maker of the Squeamish community of Cluster Haven, a vocation that provides the Amish-like townsfolk with most of their income, as the cheese balls' memorable flavors (regular and smoky) are known far and wide. But when the bearded Brother Brightbee (Devin DiMattia), a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newbie from a neighboring community shows up, the no-nonsense Rev. Tollhouse (Jay Zadeh) gives him Liz's job and moves her over to the town's chiving industry. ("But Reverend, I have no temperament for chiving!" Liz protests.)

In the strictly patriarchal community Liz's concerns are ignored, so she hits the road to make her way in a world of which she knows nothing, eventually landing (no change of costume needed) at a Pilgrim-themed, recovering-alcoholic-staffed restaurant called Plymouth Crock, serving up musker-stuffer specials and the like. Eventually, Liz hears the call of home and must face her past, which she does during an ending that brings the show full-circle. (That's not a cheese ball pun, but it could be.)

Along the way, a cast of a half-dozen plays various roles, none more entertaining than Linda Markas' well-defined Squeamish busybody Sister Constance Butterworth, who has a meltdown of impressive proportions once her community starts feeling the financial pressure caused by the poor sales of Brother Brightbee's bland cheese balls.

Zadeh bakes Rev. Tollhouse into a funny blend of self-serious and sarcastic, as when Sister Butterworth tells him she's got some business to attend to and he replies, acidly, "Your own, I hope."

In addition to playing the incompetent yet confident Brother Brightbee, DiMattia lends an air of inoffensive pleasantry to Duncan, Liz's officious manager at Plymouth Crock, while Jen Ingulli is appropriately wacky as Liz's Dr. Barb, who's been sober a whole eight months now.

As Oxana, Liz's Ukrainian friend and roommate whose whose job is to cavort by the side of the road while wearing a Mr. Peanut costume, Melissa Randall adopts a Cockney accent, presumably because the immigrant learned to speak "English" to prepare for her move to the States.

There are plenty of fun little details like this one, and the writing gives off the heady vibe of partners who happen to be siblings trying to one-up each other in the silly idea department.

Sometimes, however, lines are rushed or not spoken clearly and the humor is lost. Scene changes are often long and cumbersome, save for one near-magical switch when things flash from Dr. Barb's office, where Liz has gone to inquire about her prodigious sweating, back to the caravantastic domicile of Liz's newfound friends. If more of the changes were this easy the production would have a better flow.

Director Antonino gives the proceedings a North Carolina touch, with characters wearing gear from state teams and scenes interspersed with songs by such acts as Future Islands and Squirrel Nut Zippers, who hail from the Tar Heel state. Both Amy and David grew up in Raleigh, which is why TheatreNOW is staging the show as part of its North Carolina writers series.

TheatreNOW chef Denise Gordon uses the show as inspiration for her menu, which starts with Sister's Liz's Famous Cheese Balls, delicious, creamy little nuggets perfect for spreading on crackers. The rest of the food is equally creative, with a flavorful "Ukrainian" pork chop cooked in a tangy tomato gravy; a tasty take on chicken and waffles; and a sweet-and-savory, veggie-stuffed oatmeal crepe served with a balsamic blueberry BBQ sauce, a dish that's both odd and intriguing, kind of like this show.

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.

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